A different drummer plays ethnic music
Print Edition
Han Ying, a classically trained cellist, now makes simple ethnic minority instruments, such as a finger drum made from dried gourd, a three-holed bamboo flute and wooden flute used by cattle herdsmen.
The 37-year-old musician from Yunnan Province, home to many ethnic groups, said the rough, handmade instruments are like his children; they help him achieve the right tone and deliver his message of peace, hope and love. Most of his instruments, more than 30 so far, are reproductions of ethnic group instruments in China, some are reproductions of African folk instruments, some are adaptations, and some are his own creations.
Twelve of Han Ying’s musical instruments are exhibited at LifeHub@JinQiao through October 20 as part of the Jinqiao Yue Wei Yang Music Festival. Han Ying discussed his ideas on making music and making musical instruments with reporters in a recent interview.
Though he majored in Western cello in college, Han Ying is naturally attracted to ethnic music. In Yunnan, where he grew up and now makes his home, there are around 25 ethnic groups. In 2004 he started composing music, using various ethnic musical instruments for works that draw on nature and natural sounds. Communing with nature is a major theme of his works, such as “Sadness after the Hurricane” and “In the Woods.” His first album “Door” expresses his feelings about damage and threats to nature by human beings.
“My music is the voice telling the most real and most natural part of me. It’s the way I communicate with the world and nature,” Han Ying told reporters. “It brings me peace, ideas, hope and love.”
He started making his own instruments in 2003, visiting folk craftsmen in China and overseas to study and collect. According to him, each musical instrument represents the wisdom of the ethnic group.
“The rough texture of the ethnic instruments is what strikes me most because such simple instruments can create such beautiful sounds,” Han Ying said. “I also keep my own instruments simple to present the simplest and most natural me.”
Q: Why did you shift from cello to folk music?
A: I majored in cello but after graduation I came in contact with folk music from China and around the world. I was hooked. I established a band with friends, including foreigners, working on music with various world music elements. Since Yunnan is known for its many cultures, it might be my nature to be attracted to those cultures and music.
Q: How did you start making musical instruments?
A: I started in 2003 and needed a particular sound for my compositions. It wasn’t easy to find the right instruments, so I made my own. The first was a gourd drum. It needed to be light so that when it was tapped with the fingers, it would resonate and make a very special sound.
I spend a lot of time visiting different regions to collect folk music and instruments. I usually have a particular tone in mind, and then I start searching existing instruments. If I can’t find it, I make my own. It can be a very long process with countless experiments to get the tone right.
I like natural materials such as bamboo, gourds or even sunflower stems.
Q: How do you create?
A: I often go to the mountains. I discover different natural voices in different seasons in the mountains; they are the source of my inspiration. I like the sounds of streams, wind blowing, birds, crickets and frogs. They are all background music for my creations. I also search for materials in the mountains. Sometimes I play my music and record outside in the mountains. All the natural sounds cooperate in my recording.
Q: You are always discovering sound elements. Do you find any here in Shanghai?
A: Sure. I am now experimenting with combining industrial or modern sounds with the sounds of nature. For example, I found that the sound of air-conditioners is everywhere, it’s indispensable to city life, though many people are not aware of it. It’s very different from the life in Dali, Yunnan, where I live. Yet the A-C sound is real and coexists with people here.
Q: What are your plans?
A: I am working on my new album “Growth,” which I started years ago. Apart from my own musical instruments, I will add cello and bass.
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